Exclusive Crowdfunding Interview with Parker Stewart of Teelaunch

As crowdfunding marketing experts, the team at Enventys Partners is always looking for the next big thing in the crowdfunding space. We’re now seeing valuable pre-launch and post-campaign resources pop up every day, and we want to help our clients determine which are the most useful. Enter teelaunch.

For the next part of Enventys Partners’ crowdfunding interview series, I sat down with Parker Stewart, co-founder of teelaunch, a direct to garment printing company that specializes in crowdfunding reward fulfillment and distribution. Here, he shares with us all that teelaunch has to offer and what he believes is the key to a successful crowdfunding campaign.

1. What inspired you to create teelaunch?
2. We still ask ourselves that one. My cousin, Chris, and I are both 2nd and 3rd generation entrepreneurs, so going into business for ourselves was in our blood. Chris had followed direct to garment digital printing since its inception, but I never really felt like we fit into the mold of being boxed in, working for other companies and unable to call the critical shots or think outside the box. After a sit down luncheon with both of our fathers and a handful of ideas circulating, the digital print shop rose to the top.
3. Have you, or anyone on your team, ever ran a crowdfunding campaign?
4. Yes, we have in fact ran a crowdfunding campaign to support indie music artists.
5. What do you think is the key to a successful crowdfunding project?
6. Great video and great perks. You need the video to get people excited about the project and ultimately, even though they want to support you anyway, you need perks that the people actually want and think is worth the money they are paying.
7. Why do you think it’s important for a project creator to offer a t-shirt reward?
8. T-Shirts are universal- everybody wears/loves t-shirts. If your perks are too niche, then you will turn people away, but a t-shirt is a good, safe, mid-tier reward.
9. Why should someone choose teelaunch to take care of their crowdfunding reward fulfillment over a traditional, online t-shirt shop?
10. Teelaunch is, in fact, the one stop shop for assisting you in the fulfillment and distribution of your crowdfunding rewards. We have experience in shipping both domestic and international on a daily basis, and there are no hidden charges. No one likes sitting on the floor with hundreds, if not thousands, of separate orders to bag and tag and run through a checklist with no real means of address verification. Let us handle the dirty work while you focus on the real task at hand: your project.
11. How many t-shirts can you print in a day?
12. We have capacity to run about 1,000 shirts in a shift when we’re at full speed.
13. How long does it take to ship out an order once it’s placed with teelaunch?
14. While this is dependent on the size of the project, we excel and take pride in our fast turn around. As a form of CYA 😉 we typically say 5-7 business days, but can typically execute same day or within 48 hours of order placement.
15. Do you offer any products other than t-shirts?
16. YES! Not only can we do t-shirts, hoodies, tanks and polos, we also have a Roland Versa-UV LEF-12 at the shop and a mug heatpress. On the Roland, we can do everything from lighters to guitar picks and USB flash drives to 8×10 canvas prints.   We also try to take time out each week for R&D and have other ideas, such as tote bags and even hats, in the works.
17. Have you ever considered offering advertising spots on your site?
18. We like to keep our appearance clean and professional. While we do like to showcase some of our projects from time to time, I don’t think this is anything we plan on entertaining anytime in the near future.
19. Have you considered implementing a referral program?
20. Yes! We are currently in the works of doing a complete website rework that will revolutionize the way we interact across the board with all of our customers. From crowdfunding fulfillment/distribution and affiliate marketers to custom one-off orders and affiliate shirt shop e-comm stores. Referral is a huge part of business, and we love to share the rewards of our growth with our clients and customers. We’re not quite ready to release the program details, but stay tuned for more information soon at www.teelaunch.com.
21. What’s the craziest or funniest t-shirt you’ve been asked to print?   
22. LOL IS THIS A PG RATED question? But seriously though everyday we watch hundreds of shirts come down the line and have a chuckle from a play on words or cute children’s shirts to some that may be more adult humor and risque. If it’s crossed your mind, it’s probably made it to a t-shirt. =-)